Suneet Varma bringing Armani Junior to India

Designer Suneet Varma believes in keeping pace with the changing times. So he has turned into an entrepreneur and is bringing Armani Junior, a subsidiary of international luxury fashion label Giorgio Armani, to India.

"I have bagged the Indian franchisee for Armani Junior. I wanted to do something in luxury but I was sure it had nothing to do with shoes and bags. Then I zeroed in for children's wear, as it is a niche segment and there is tremendous scope in this area," Varma told IANS.

"We had approached them in March, met in May and finalised the deal in July. I have already been to Italy to have a look at the stock we would be keeping at the India store," he added.

The Delhi-based designer has opened a private firm, Unique Eye Luxury Apparel Pvt Ltd, along with a few partners and has signed a three-store deal with the label.

Their first store will open in luxury mall DLF Emporio, Vasant Kunj in March next year.

For the designer, who has been in the industry for over two decades, the decision came naturally as he believes creativity lies not only in making good clothes, but in exploring business avenues as well.

"I have been in this business for 25 years and I have good knowledge about the retail space in the country. So we understand the mindset of people and the market condition. And it is a business which one has to understand from the core and fortunately, my experience in the industry gives me an edge over others," said Varma.

"The idea is to think a little bit ahead and be creative about your business. For me, creativity goes beyond making creative saris or dresses. Yes, there is different fun in this, but one has to be creative enough with the business ideas as well to grow in this field," he added.

One of the pioneers of the Indian fashion industry, Varma wants to ensure this project is equally creative like his designs. Hence the store would be more than just a regular kids' wear shop.

"We have got big space. We want to make it a concept store. So we have plans to have regular art appreciation, music appreciation classes for kids here. We are also planning to bring in theatre personalities to interact with the kids," he elaborated.